Climate Change

Home to lush tropical rainforests, magnificent mountains and pristine islands and seas, PNG is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, accounting for about five percent of global biodiversity.

Climate change and unsustainable growth threaten these natural assets, ones that the people of Papua New Guinea have enjoyed for thousands of years.

Sipora Naraga, a resident of Aromot Island, an atoll off the coast of Umbol Island in the Vitiaz Strait of Morobe Province, laments about what has come to pass.

Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko, highlighted this during the meeting with Ministers at the 4th AIS Forum Ministerial Meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Tkatchenko shared at the Forum that oceans play an important role.

“PNG therefore fully supports the theme for the 4^th AIS Ministerial Forum to elevate collaboration to achieve sustainable and healthy oceans. Oceans and islands are an integral part of our countries, our oceans are key to our livelihood, our economies, our cultural heritage and environment.

“We are very proud to accept this Award and appreciate the industry recognition of our efforts in making a significant contribution to the Environment and Climate Change,” said Tau Homoka, Santos Vice President for Special Projects when accepting the Award in Sydney at the 16th PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference & Exhibition Dinner on Monday, 5 December.  
 

Natural hazards such as drought and the effects of climate change have caused challenges related to water and food insecurity in many rural communities in the province.

Internally Displaced Persons’ community in Ward 13 of Markham District now have access to safe and clean drinking water following the rehabilitation of boreholes in their community.

Villagers in Waro, Iruone, Kelekapana and Vuru have started responding to the issue, by building seawalls. They began recognising a great change to the sea levels in 2018.

The villagers said, the sea level rise has eaten away the coastline at least 10 metres in. Homes situated in close proximity to the sea, are concerned about the impacts on their livelihoods.

According to the Green Climate Fund 2019, over the last 100 years the global climate has warmed by approximately 0.74°C and is expected to rise a further 1.3 to 1.8°C by the end of the century.

This follows training on the use of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in Hela, Southern Highlands, Jiwaka and Western Highlands.

Delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mendi town, the training was attended by 20 men and nine women from the provincial administration, district and local government offices, partners and local volunteers.

The training focused on field data collection and developing information products that better inform planning and evidence-based responses to the multi-sectoral needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The 2022 Earth Day Google doodle includes four Gifs created from satellite imagery and photographs from The Ocean Agency that will rotate throughout the day.

They show glacial retreat at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania between December 1986 and 2020 and glacial melt in Sermersooq, Greenland, between December 2000 and 2020.

UNFPA Asia-Pacific regional director, Bjorn Andersson, said: “As the world continues to battle and recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and governments look to institute policies to build back better and greener, we are at the same time affected by another global crisis – climate change – and the impact it has on women’s health, rights and equality.”

The United States Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) invited Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) to co-host the Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs Conference (IPACC) in Hawaii, USA, from 13 to15 September 2021.

The topic of IPACC 2021 was “Environmental impacts on land and littoral operations.” Accordingly, PNGDF and PNG NRI collaborated and provided an overview of the security challenges amid climate change from small developing countries perspective.

Only a handful of female leaders including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern are on the United Nations' climate panel.

The others include German chancellor Angela Merkel, Barbados' president Mia Mottley, Iceland's prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas and the head of UN Climate Change Patricia Espinosa.

Many governments claim that 45 percent of their COP26 teams are women.